An employer who apparently denied leave to employees for Holi also informed them that they must remain colour-free if they wanted to enter office premises. A screenshot of the manager’s message was shared on Reddit by a disgruntled employee, sparking a wider conversation on toxic Indian workplaces.
Employee’s rant
The unnamed employee took to the popular “Indian Workplace” subreddit to air his frustration. He said that his employer refused to grant a leave for Holi. Despite the festival being widely celebrated, the company did not approve time off for employees.
If employees take leave without approval on Holi, it would be marked as unapproved and unpaid, the boss said. Additionally, the company applies a "sandwich salary deduction" policy, meaning if an employee takes leave before or after a weekend or public holiday, extra days may also be deducted from their salary.
Beyond financial penalties, employees who take unapproved leave may also face warnings or other disciplinary actions like warning letters, the employee revealed in his Reddit post.
Manager’s message
The employee shared a screenshot of the manager’s message to employees. In addition to not having a day off to celebrate Holi, employees were also told to not celebrate the festival of colours in the office.
{{/usCountry}}The employee shared a screenshot of the manager’s message to employees. In addition to not having a day off to celebrate Holi, employees were also told to not celebrate the festival of colours in the office.
{{/usCountry}}The boss put three conditions in front of the employees, adding that failure to comply would lead to consequences. Here’s what he said:
“We will not bring colors on the floor tomorrow!” read the manager’s message.
“You will not be allowed to enter premises if you are colored yourself and it will be marked as Unapproved since its Business Critical Day,” the manager continued.
He also added that employees should not have any emergencies or fall sick on the day of Holi, writing: “Take extra care of yourself and do not fall ill/have emergencies tomorrow!”
Message sparks backlash
These diktats, predictably, did not go over well on social media. On Reddit, the reactions were largely negative.
“This sounds like a school more than a workplace,” wrote one Reddit user. “Mass resignation is the only solution for this,” another advised.
Dozens of viewers asked the Reddit user to “name and shame” the company.
“Total failure of the Indian govt to protect its workforce. Not only are we exploited anyways, they have also taken away basic things like celebration of festivals. Can you imagine this on Xmas in Europe or Eid in the Middle East?” a person asked.